THREE elderly women were burgled while they were in their homes in the Holywell area last Saturday evening.

North Wales Police said the incidents occurred between 5pm and

6.45pm, and there is a strong possibility the burglaries were committed by the same gang.

Det Insp Mark Hughes from Mold CID said: 'We don't know for definite, but we think they are all linked.

'The incidents all occurred in a square mile over a time frame of between one and two hours.'

All of the victims were in their 80s and lived alone.

The first incident occurred shortly after 5pm at the home of a female pensioner in Holywell.

The elderly resident discovered a man in her hallway.

The intruder left through the back door but a few minutes later the pensioner answered her front door to the same man, accompanied by another man and a woman.

She screamed at the trio and they fled the scene empty-handed.

Police were alerted to the second incident at 6.20pm by an elderly woman who had been awoken from a nap at her home in Carmel.

She did not see an intruder, but found jewellery had been stolen from her bedroom.

The third incident occurred at around 6.45pm in Holywell, when an elderly woman found a young woman in her living room.

The intruder took the pensioner into the kitchen for a cup of tea and kept her talking for some time before leaving.

The pensioner then discovered cash had been stolen from her bedroom.

A spokeswoman from North Wales Police said none of the victims were threatened or subjected to any violence during the burglaries, but all of them were left shaken and upset.

Cameras have been installed in the homes of vulnerable pensioners in a bid to catch those who prey on the elderly.

The move follows a spate of burglaries at the homes of pensioners in Flintshire and Wrexham in recent weeks.

Det Insp Neill Anderson of Wrexham CID said: 'These offences against some of the most vulnerable people in the community are a priority for the police and no effort is being spared in tracking down those responsible.'